Utano Public Health Chats

Check out our conversation with Nyasha as she shares her career journey. Dr. Nyasha Dzavakwa is a medical doctor and epidemiologist based in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her work focuses on improving health outcomes for children, adolescents and young people living with HIV. Nyasha trained as a medical doctor before completing an MSc in Epidemiology and Implementation Science from the University of the Witwatersrand and a PhD in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her PhD research explored the effect of an electronic monitoring device informed adherence intervention on antiretroviral therapy adherence among young people with HIV in Zimbabwe at risk of virologic failure. She conducted and led a randomised controlled trial to implement the digital adherence intervention and embedded a mixed-methods process evaluation within it. Nyasha also previously served as the clinical lead and Work Package 1 lead for a multi-country trial investigating the effects of vitamin D supplementation on bone health among adolescents living with HIV in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Currently Dr. Nyasha is a SOFAR Postdoctoral fellow and clinical researcher at The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe, within the Biomedical Research and Training Institute.She serves as a co-Principle Investigator and clinical lead for the ARTful Ageing study, a Wellcome-funded programme investigating the mechanisms of ageing among children with perinatally acquired HIV in Zimbabwe. Her current research interests are focused on understanding brain health, neurodevelopment and neuroimaging, particularly understanding how living with HIV from early life may influence cognitive and brain health as children grow older. Through her work, she hopes to contribute to research that is locally relevant and can ultimately improve the long-term health and wellbeing of children and young people living with HIV.

In this episode we talked to Dr Bisi Bright from Nigeria. Dr Bisi Bright is a Global Public Health Enthusiast, Social Entrepreneur, Health Systems Researcher, Adjunct Lecturer, Consultant Clinical Pharmacist, and Public Health Practitioner. She is 1st Vice Chairman and CEO of LiveWell Initiative LWI, a self-sustaining nonprofit healthcare social enterprise, which has impacted over 2 million Nigerians and thousands of Ghanaians with health literacy, improved overall health, and wellness. She serves as an Internship Preceptor for MPH and DrPH students at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health and is a visiting Doctoral Research ‘Opponent’ Faculty at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She is a Board Member of the National Hepatitis Coalition in Nigeria, and a Governing Council Member of the Nigeria-Britain Association. She initiated and designed study protocols for COVID-19 Response in Africa, which, along with members of her organization the LiveWell Initiative LWI and its clinical research team, have successfully published 6 recent Peer Reviewed Open Access Scientific Journal Manuscripts, on COVID-19. She is the Country representative of GIANT Nigeria, a Healthcare Organisation related to Vaccines Hesitancy. In 2017 she was recognised by the Economist Intelligence Unit EIU, as Global Changemaker Hepatitis C, and won the Presidential Commendation for work on Hepatitis, awarded by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In partnership with the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination CGHE the LiveWell subsidiary Women in Hepatitis Africa founded by her, has been promoting the uptake of hepatitis B birth dose vaccination by newborns within 24 hours of birth, as a key strategy for preventing mother to child transmission of hepatitis PMTCT, in line with the global hepatitis elimination goals for 2030. In line with the global PPPR (postpandemic preparedness and response), she aunched the PostPandemic Women’s of Afica PPWA, helping African women to build up resilience and mental health. Bisi is also the African Representative of the EWAH Awards originally a Commonwealth Institute Program. Her newest initiative is the Global Public Health University and Institute, two learning institutions that are promoting healthcare in the future, in line with digital technologies and transformative healthcare. Her greatest passion is, working in communities and reaching everyone with healthcare.More information about LiveWell Initiative and its activities and programs can be found here:https://newstellers.ng/nigeria-britain-association-livewell-initiative-promote-preventive-healthcare-at-2026-fair/https://breezynewsnigeria.com/nigeria-britain-association-livewell-initiative-champion-preventive-healthcare/https://dailystandard.com.ng/nigeria-britain-association-livewell-initiative-champion-preventive-healthcare-at-2026-health-fair/To donate to LiveWell Initiative you may use Citibank as corresponding bank. OurUS DUNS number is 954534447 and our TIN is 04838705-0001BANK DETAILS:Bank name : Guaranty Trust Bank PlcBank address: 178 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, NigeriaAccount name: LiveWell Initiative Account number: 0005610544Sort code: 058152081 Swift code: GTBINGLADonation LinksLiveWell Initiative LWIhttps://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=JFLS2GKNT4S2Y2. PMTCT for Hepatitis https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=JS52QPMDF9CX63. Support EWAH Awards - Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare Awards, originally a Commonwealth Institute Programme, in Africa-https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3TVGUJLW3KNW44. Global Public Health University GPHU ,a tertiary health training institution undergoing registration and transforming health.https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3LXEJLKSBNAYJ

In this episode we talked to Rachael Goba, a Global health leader with 15+ years of experience driving gender-transformative health systems across Africa and globally in both development and humanitarian contexts.Rachael is a Senior Technical Advisor for  Adolescent Health, she provides strategic leadership in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) Comprehensive sexuality education, Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health, Adolescent HIV progrmming, gender equity & Social Inclusion,climate-resilient health systems, and inclusive health governance. She works at the intersection of technical excellence, systems strengthening, and power-shifting approaches that elevate women- and youth-led organisations.Rachael is a graduate of the WomenLift Health Southern Africa Leadership Journey 2025, where she is a global fellow, and her approach blends feminist leadership, localisation, and systems thinking to design scalable, evidence-driven solutions that strengthen health governance and improve health equity.In this episode we learnt about Rachael's career journey and what ignited her interest in public health. We discussed what her work looks like at this stage in her career and the things she enjoys most about the working in adolescent, sexual and reproductive health and rights. We ended with words of wisdom and motivating words for all those who might be interested in joining the field of public health! Rachael offers expert-led sexuality education for adolescents (10-19 years old) through her project Bridges Beyond which aims to and equip parents & caregivers with the tools to foster open, healthy conversations with their children. Conversations are age-appropriate, accurate, engaging and culturally appropriate covering topics such as puberty, responsibility, consent, relationships, and personal safety amongst many others. Bridges Beyond is also available to conduct workshops to schools, organisations, churches in relation to sexuality education. For more information they can get in touch on [email protected]

In this episode we hear from Dr. Nicole Curti, a Medical Doctor and Public Health Specialist with over 25 years of experience in global health and international cooperation. Dr Nicole is currently based in Rwanda, where she leads a major health program aligned with the country’s Health Sector Strategic Plan V (2024–2029), focusing on maternal, newborn, and child health, sexual and reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and health system strengthening. Her career spans Africa, Europe, South Asia, and North America, with expertise in humanitarian work, epidemic response, health security, and primary healthcare. Born in Ebolowa, Cameroon, Dr. Curti’s journey has been defined by resilience; after losing her father at 16, she financed her studies independently, earning degrees in medicine, tropical medicine and public health. She recently completed a three-year degree in Chinese Medicine and Moxibustion at the Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Geneva, Switzerland. Her work integrates coordination, research, policy, and capacity-building, collaborating with governments, local authorities, development partners, and healthcare providers to ensure equitable access to quality care. Passionate about mentoring the next generation of public health leaders, she emphasizes community engagement, continuous learning, innovation, adaptability, and evidence-based interventions to drive systemic change globally.In this episode we discussed:Her background and pathway to clinical medicineand then public health Key elements that make up a public health system The different countries she has worked and the various roles and responsibilities she had  Pivotal points in her career and experiences that informed her decision Her favourite projects and what she likes about working in public health  Her advice to people starting out in public health or those earlier in her career  Key skills and traits she finds useful in the field

In this episode we hear from Kristine Yakhama, a certified health and development professional with expertise in public health, particularly in areas such as maternal and child health, infectious disease control, and health systems strengthening. Kristine Yakhama is the Zonal leader for Kakamega MNCH Alliance and a Volunteer Regional director at  Give them a hand Foundation Kenya. She works with Good health community programs as a budget facilitator. She has  managed and optimized financial resources for various public health programs, ensuring effective implementation. Her experience as a researcher has allowed her  to contribute to impactful studies on community health outcomes and interventions. Additionally, she serves as an external reviewer, providing valuable feedback on public health projects to improve their design and execution.